She only panics on night flights. The reason has nothing to do with aviation - and everything to do with childhood trauma.
She only panics on night flights. Especially when there are no windows and everyone else is asleep.
During therapy, the memories came back.
She was sexually abused at a scouts camp in a dark storehouse with no windows. Later, she was forced to sleep in the room where her grandfather had just died. She had nightmares all night, but everyone was sleeping. She felt too ashamed to wake anyone up for help.
Now, on night flights, her nervous system screams the same message: "Dark. No windows. Everyone sleeping. No one will help. DANGER."
She still flies, but only during the day. Why does she fly at all if it terrifies her? Shame. The same shame that kept her silent as a child keeps her compliant as an adult.
This is what unprocessed trauma looks like. It doesn't fade with time. It just waits for the right trigger.
Her fear has nothing to do with aviation. It has everything to do with a night she couldn't escape decades ago.
In Short
She only panics on night flights. The reason has nothing to do with aviation - and everything to do with childhood trauma.
About the author
Alex Gervash
Pilot & Fear of Flying Specialist
Commercial Pilot (31 years aviation experience)
Trained in psychology and trauma therapy (EMDR, Somatic Experiencing)
Founder of phobia.aero & SkyGuru App
Alex Gervash brings a unique perspective to treating fear of flying, combining 31 years of commercial aviation experience with deep expertise in psychology and trauma therapy. His approach to aerophobia integrates Somatic Experiencing®, EMDR therapy, and polyvagal theory with comprehensive aviation knowledge. Having personally helped over 16,000 individuals overcome flight anxiety, panic attacks on planes, and turbulence fear, Alex continues to support nervous flyers worldwide through the SkyGuru flight companion app used by 200,000+ users.
